The Present and Future Sound of Birmingham

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The vastness of Birmingham’s music scene is why it’s so great, and wherever you are in the city, the connections with art and culture are evident - which is part of the reason why Birmingham events of all kinds are widely attended.

The city attracts heaps of international talent, from big name DJs to seismic raves, as well as powerhouse pop stars, rock and roll icons and plenty more. But Birmingham’s own talent pool comes in all styles and genres, and below we delve into some of the best of them, from newly unearthed rappers, to emerging indie greats. Discover the present and future sound of Birmingham.

Bringing the bars from Brum is a rapper who has been producing tracks for some years now, and his well and truly made a name for himself in the Midlands.

Dapz dropped brand new tracks ‘Waiting’ and ‘Shinobi Part II (Safe and Sound)’ earlier in 2020 and has shown his versatility is a huge asset and the reason why he’s such an interesting listen. Whether it’s smooth RnB or a filthy rap track, Dapz OTM has it on lock.

Another MC putting Birmingham on the map (and there are quite a few now let’s be honest), is Kofi Stone. He’s East London born but raised in Brum and through his seriously impressive lyrical wordplay, paints a picture of the life he’s led in the most poetic of ways.

With 2019 debut album Nobody Cares Till Everybody Does the rapper demonstrates a seriously laid back flow which makes him extremely listenable, and means that you’ll find yourself pressing repeat on his first full length studio release over and over again.

A Birmingham indie band capable of producing the most massive of bouncing indie bangers, Ivory Wave have become national treasures in Birmingham of late.

The band recently supported The Sherlocks on a UK tour winning over countless fans in the process and proving that the hype is well and truly worth listening to. If you can catch them live they will blow you away without doubt.

Certified mic slayer Lady Sanity makes no hesitation in dishing out the most explosive of bars - with the latest track Trappin a perfect example of that, and exhibiting one of the rapper’s biggest influences; Kendrick Lamar.

Lady Sanity represented Birmingham by appearing at the Official Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Australia back in 2018, with the next edition heading to Brum in 2022 as part of the representation of the city that showed of "youth, diversity and talent" according to organisers.

With support from BBC Radio 6 Music and a 2017 slot at Glasto a few years back now, the Cosmics are no strangers to the live music of Birmingham and way beyond.

The band’s self-titled 2019 E.P perfectly demonstrated the abilities of the three-piece when it comes to making scuzzy, slacker garage rock - with lead singer and bassist Erin Grace experimenting vocally throughout with a cacophony of drums and guitars to boot from brother Conor and Danny Boyle.